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August 18, 2008

G125: Red Sox 6, Orioles 3

Lester (7-4-1-1-5, 103) and Jason Bay (two home runs, one single, two runs, four RBI, one stolen base) led the way.

Jonathan Papelbon came into the game with two outs in the eighth inning. He allowed a double to Aubrey Huff, which scored two of Manny Delcarmen's runners and shrunk the Boston lead to one run, 4-3. The Red Sox got some insurance in the top of the ninth, as Dustin Pedroia singled and scored on Ortiz's second double of the game. Ortiz then scored on a fielder's choice from Bay.

The Red Sox are 28-35 (.444) away from Fenway Park. In other words, they are the Pirates or the Royals or the Reds when they are on the road.

With Tampa Bay hosting the Angels for three games, followed by a weekend set in Chicago against the White Sox, this would be a good time for Boston to close the widening gap in the AL East. The Rays went 7-3 on their just-completed road trip, bumping their divisional lead over the Red Sox from 3 to 4.5 GA.

Boston will play three games in each of Baltimore, Toronto, and New York. Jason Bay: "Three divisional opponents, three teams that I've heard play us pretty tough. ... You have to win on the road."

Guthrie has allowed only one run in each of his last four starts (IP: 6.1, 9, 7, 7) and no more than two runs in six of his last seven outings (2.06 ERA).

Also: Angels/Rays at 7 PM. The Yankees (9.5 GB) are off today before starting a series in Toronto on Tuesday.

***

J.D. Drew left yesterday's game with tightness in his lower back. ... Tim Wakefield tossed a ball for the second consecutive day, but there's no timetable for his return. ... Jonathan Papelbon is still battling migraines.

I'm watching baseball at the Olympics. The USA against China, and the Chinese pitchers have hit 6 US batters with pitches, one of them in the back of the head.

One of the American players, Nate Scherhoultz, blasted through a catcher who was blocking home plate without the baseball and knocked him out of the game. One of the American catchers was taken out as well by a Chinese runner.

The USA in the 7th was at 9-0, one run away from ending the game via the Mercy rule.

As for me, I haven't given up on the division, but I am very aware as to how Tampa has played these last two months. It's gone so the Tampa losses come when the Red Sox have lost for the most part, and when the Red Sox win, Tampa usually wins.

If this were one baseball game, Tampa would have a pitcher like Roy Halladay who makes you think that if you're down by three runs it feels a lot more like 10, but like those games, a small rally can get you right back into it. With 37 games left, there's still plenty of time to catch Tampa.

However, you also look at how close Minnesota/Chicago is in the wild card, and the hairs on my back are beginning to stand on end looking back there. You can see their nose hairs! That's how close they are, just a half-game back. Tied in the loss column.

I think right now you can't count on the wild card, so the only choice you really have for any sense of security is to focus on Tampa and winning the division.

Critical trip coming up, that's for damn sure. Toronto, for example, thinks that if they go on a tear here between New York and Boston, they can get back into the wildcard race, so they have something to play hard for, as to the Yankees, obviously.

I have not yet given up winning the division. But I have at best guarded optimism. I think the Rays will slump at some critical point. The question will be whether our hitters will be healthy and whether our pitchers will get their damn acts together.

I remember a discussion early in the season when Papi was injured or maybe even earlier when we talked about rates of injury last season v. a typical season and how it seemed we had fewer injuries. I think the stats did not back that up, IIRC.

This season it seems like we have ha MORE than the typical number of injuries. Is that perception also distorted? Did I think we had fewer last season because we were winning, and do I think we have more this season because we are not doing as well?

Millar, paraphrased by Castig: "With Lester, he used to be able to command the inside of the plate, which means you could stand back just a little bit and cheat on that and hit the inside pitch. Now, he commands both sides of the plate. You can't cheat anymore."

redsock, to give Remy the benefit of the doubt (this time), for a team not on the same level as a Boston or Chicago Cubs, a lack of stability at an important position like SS is a definite liability. The Sox have enough strengths to hide weaknesses - Cabrera sucked at the plate, but the lineup could absorb that and he played excellent D. Lugo sucked at both, but the '07 team was strong enough to absorb both.

I do kinda wish that the FO have been able to secure a long-term SS since 2003. Lowrie, knock on wood, will be that SS.

ish - I think you've named just about everyone, but I think Remy's point was you can't win with revolving during a season. Only 2004 and this year can you say the Sox were playing revolving door SS's (Gongzalez missed due to injuries).

Okay, this is the absolute WORST national weather service break-in EVER.

The National Weather Service this year has been able to pinpoint where severe thunderstorms are and where they're going, and they issue warnings only for where they're going instead of putting an entire county under the warning.

What they haven't learned, however, is how to deliver the message a storm is coming, only to the people that would be AFFECTED.

I am down along the ocean. Southern Maine. Eight miles from the very southern tip of the state of Maine.

The warning that interrupted the game was for an area along the Canadian border. The severe thunderstorm is 140 miles away from here!

No one had any response to my question/comment re injuries this season v the average v last season? Or did I miss the response?

Amy - if someone replied I also missed it, but I really don't think that injuries are necessarily any worse this year, its just that they seem to happen at same timer or one person comes off of the list only to be immediately replaced ie Lowell hurt in april, comes back and boom Papi went down.

That Rays team is fucking unbelievable. You could probably crack Pena's kneecap and snap Cliff Floyd's elbow and they'd reel off 10 straight wins. It's almost getting into Monty Python levels of absurdity at this point.

Redsock - I agree, can be deceiving, but injuries as a whole can be pretty random. 2004 - 486 games were missed by Sheil, Garcia, and Thomas. However, 6 players missed over 45 games that year besides those three players.

This year it just seems like one starting comes off the list and then boom another starting player goes on the list.

Actually spending part of the time looking at the weather for Fay. BH's family got there today (they left 1 day early) from their visit, one of the main reasons why I have been absent from the game threads).

So now that Jed Lowrie has won over the faithful with his spot-on Bill Mueller imitation lately, here's the question that must be asked: Will Julio Lugo get his job back when (or if) he returns from his injury? I'm not saying Terry Francona is loyal to a fault when it comes to his veterans, but if he coached the Patriots, Drew Bledsoe would still be the starting quarterback. Then again, Lugo was so consistently brutal that even Tito might be able to resist writing his name on the lineup card. Come to think of it, this might be the ultimate test for him.

10 will get you 1 that Lugo starts the first 3 games at SS with Jedi at 3b when he gets back.

9C, I have seen that a lot with disability, too. Kids that become very mature, super compassionate, wise, for their age. Living with adversity, they are strengthened. I've been inspired so many times by it.

9C, I have seen that a lot with disability, too. Kids that become very mature, super compassionate, wise, for their age. Living with adversity, they are strengthened. I've been inspired so many times by it.

How could you not be inspired it's a lesson that can not be taught, and a lesson you wish on no one.

Oh, Laura, I am so sorry to hear that about your sister's cat. My heart just breaks for her and her family. It is awful enough to lose an older pet who has lived a full life, but losing one who was younger and to an accident is just awful. We lost one cat that way a number of years ago, and I was sick about it for a long time. (He got into flowers we had that turned out to be poisonous.)

Amy said... I am sure surviving cancer has given Lester a new perspective on life, but I have a feeling his native talent was always there. As I recall, he was quite impressive before he got sick two years ago.

He used to pitch with fear , not wanting to give up hits and runs, so he had a tendency to walk guys....that fear is gone....

There was an interesting article about Whole Foods and its reputation for being pricey a few weeks ago. They are apparently trying to battle that image. There was a table which showed that on some items they are actually no more expensive or even less expensive than a chain grocery store.

Trying to decide what to do with an injured or ill pet is one of the hardest things I have had to do. Usually I have to reach the point of saying that the animal is suffering just because I don't want to feel guilty about putting him/her down before I can let go.